Types of Drugs

Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the U.S. Among adolescents, marijuana use may cause psychological damage. During intoxication, marijuana users become irrational and tend to behave erratically. Marijuana intoxication may cause several side effects such as, impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem-solving, and problems with learning and memorizing many things.

Hallucinogens are another example of a commonly used drug which can be snorted, smoked, or swallowed in the form of a pill, and inhaled through the form of powder or even as syrup. Hallucinogens can cause its users to behave unpredictably, and constantly use violent behavior. Users commonly experience various injuries, which sometimes can be quite serious or fatal. Signs and effects of using hallucinogens includes an elevated heart rate and blood pressure, lees of sensitivity to touch or pain, convulsions, coma, and heart and lung failure. Not shockingly, Hallucinogens also produce psychological effects including depression, anxiety, and flashbacks.

Heroin is one of the most potent and addictive drug used currently in the U.S. Heroin is also known as lady, white girl, horse, black tar, brown sugar, smack, good, H, and junk. Heroin usually looks like a white or brown powder or a black sticky substance. Users of heroin often exhibit flu-like symptoms, including watery eyes, runny nose, and reduced appetite. Heroin use is strongly linked with a myriad of negative outcomes including addiction; increased risk for contracting HIV and hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Inhalants represent a unique threat because they are generally household items that are easily obtained in the home or at local stores. Inhalants include paint thinners, gasoline, glue, butane, propane, aerosol propellants, nitrous oxide, and more. Inhalants are also referred to as laughing gas, poppers, snappers, whippets, whipped cream, and rush. Signs of inhalant use include chemical odors on the user’s breath or clothing; paint or stains on the user’s body; hidden empty spray or solvent cans; and drunk or sloppy appearance, including slurred speech, nausea, inattentiveness, and lack of coordination. Users may experience lack of appetite, irritability, depression, and sudden death, as well as damage to the brain, lungs, nerves, liver, kidneys, and bones.

 Methamphetamines is crystal meth, also known as meth. However, there are other forms of the drug. Methamphetamines are commonly referred to as meth, ice (crystallized), batu, glass, crystals, crystal-meth, speed, and chalk. Methamphetamines can be snorted, injected, smoked, or taken orally. Effects of methamphetamine use include heart palpitations, blurred vision, violent behavior, hallucinations, and aggression. Methamphetamines are extremely addictive, particularly crystal meth Methamphetamines can cause damage to the brain, lungs, liver, and heart. Users may also experience memory loss, psychotic behavior, and increased risk of unsafe sexual behavior.

LSD

Chemist Albert Hofmann, working at the Sandoz Corporation pharmaceutical laboratory in Switzerland, first synthesized LSD in 1938. He was conducting research on possible medical applications of various lysergic acid compounds derived from ergot, a fungus that develops on rye grass. Searching for compounds with therapeutic value, Hofmann created more than two dozen ergot-derived synthetic molecules. LSD is sold on the street in tablets, capsules, and occasionally in liquid form. It is an odorless and colorless substance with a slightly bitter taste that is usually ingested orally. It is often added to absorbent paper, such as blotter paper, and divided into small decorated squares, with each square representing one dose.

STEROIDS

 Anabolic steroids are synthetically produced variants of the naturally occurring male hormone testosterone. Both males and females have testosterone produced in their bodies: males in the testes, and females in the ovaries and other tissues. The full name for this class of drugs is androgenic (promoting masculine characteristics) anabolic (tissue building) steroids (the class of drugs). Some of the common street (slang) names for anabolic steroids include arnolds, gym candy, pumpers, roids, stackers, weight trainers, and juice.

Currently, there are more than 100 different types of anabolic steroids that have been developed, and each requires a prescription to be used legally in the United States. Anabolic steroids can be taken orally, injected intramuscularly, or rubbed on the skin when in the form of gels or creams. These drugs are often used in patterns called cycling, which involves taking multiple doses of steroids over a specific period of time, stopping for a period, and starting again. Users also frequently combine several different types of steroids in a process known as stacking.  By doing this, users believe that the different steroids will interact to produce an effect on muscle size that is greater than the effects of using each drug individually.

COCOAINE

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant that directly affects the brain. Cocaine is not a new drug. In fact, it is one of the oldest known drugs. The pure chemical, cocaine hydrochloride, has been an abused substance for more than 100 years, and coca leaves, the source of cocaine, have been ingested for thousands of years

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug. Thus, an individual may have difficulty predicting or controlling the extent to which he or she will continue to want or use the drug. Cocaine’s stimulant and addictive effects are thought to be primarily a result of its ability to inhibit the reasorption of dopamine by nerve cells. Dopamine is released as part of the brain’s reward system, and is either directly or indirectly involved in the addictive properties of every major drug of abuse.Use of cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly and at increasingly high doses, leads to a state of increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia. This may result in a full-blown paranoid psychosis, in which the individual loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations